Feb 8, 2019 | Managed Care Friday
1. Where There’s Smoke: People with schizophrenia are 3 times more likely to smoke than other people and tend to smoke more heavily in an effort to control their symptoms related to their mental illness, according to the Mental Health Foundation. Of note, Rhode Island’s BCBS insurer just partnered with OutcomesMTM and schizophrenia is among the focus areas. Overall, patients taking 8+ Part D drugs and have incurred at least one quarter of their annual drug cost in the last 3 months are ‘targeted’. Patients pay nothing to be involved. 2. Diamonds Are a Doctor’s Best Friend: A care manager and...
Feb 1, 2019 | Managed Care Friday
If You Build It….Psych Field Gets Boost In Iowa What It Means to the Emerging Trend in Psych Services Wait times for seeing psychiatrists or psychologists average 2-4 months, according to our poll of 231 school counselors, PCPs, and hospital discharge planners in Iowa, but there is hope in a new program out of Broadlawns Medical Center. The hospital has a new psych residency program. University of Iowa Hospitals had the only psych training program here until this one. Several Iowa hospitals closed their mental health units in recent years, not due to low demand but low supply, says Martin...
Jan 25, 2019 | Managed Care Friday
1. 7.7 Million: The number of adults who have co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. New information on comorbidity from a study done across the globe in Australia. The Queensland Brain Institute released a study this month with Aarhus University showing the risk of developing a second mental health disorder. People within the study who were younger than 20 at the onset of their mental disorder were more at risk than others for developing a second disorder in the next 10-15 years. This study is now the largest and most...
Jan 11, 2019 | Managed Care Friday
1. 307: That’s the amount of mass shootings in the U.S in 2018 up until November but there are signs that the market is trying to reverse the trend. Walt Disney Company is expanding a national program focused on helping kids who suffer from social isolation in elementary school. Parents of some of the children killed in the Sandy Hook shooting are involved. The program will be available to schools at no cost and aims to train 2.8 million students in 6,000 schools by 2022. 2. Cardiology The Next Target: Several cardiology procedures will now require pre-approval and post-service medical...
Jan 3, 2019 | Managed Care Friday
1. Nine: That’s the number of splat points I had at Orangetheory Fitness before Christmas, the lowest in the class, 15 worse than my bride and 25 worse than my daughter leading me to believe that managing my own care is exhausting, humiliating and undoubtedly hurting my status in the family. The hit gym classes aren’t just winning with families, millennials and 30 and 40 somethings, they are getting the attention of self insured employers and a few large group plans. We asked 12 different benefits administrators for leading employers with more than 15,000 employees – 10 of them said they are...
Dec 14, 2018 | Managed Care Friday
1. 3: The number of physical therapists in a small group in my home state who are creating a training guide or course to help PTs identify and address depression, addiction, and eating disorders in patients. The PTs are trying to make a less standard approach to detecting these conditions, and engaging patients about delicate topics. ‘That sounds like the definition of value based medicine if you ask me,’ according to Michelle Feller, a network contracting manager for BCBS. 2. Cataract Policy Change: Recently, Anthem Blue Cross/Blue Shield of California announced it would no longer be...
